3 Things We Now Know About Success in Digital

1. It's all about online engagement.

According to Celent, about 55 percent of the digital submissions for the Model Insurer awards were focused on delivering new portals. Of these, approximately 55 percent were focused on improving the lives of partners across the value chain. Efficiency, compliance and reducing NIGO rates were all quoted as key drivers. Additionally, paperless straight-through processing (STP) remains a very real goal, while e-signatures also were on the rise.

Finalist: Unigarant

Unigarant is an example of this efficiency, as it implemented automatic claims handling, from online claims registration through to the close, including executed claim payments with full STP.

2. Mobility and tablet computing continue to gain traction.

About 30 percent of the digital submissions it received were related to mobile or tablet initiatives. Of these, about 67 percent were focused on the agent/producer, while 58 percent focused on property/casualty lines and 42 percent on the life business. The submissions cited the benefits of these initiatives to include a greater ease of doing business, as well as increased transparency and speed.‘Mobile first’ was even quoted by one insurer as a core design principle.

Finalist: John Hancock — JH Life Briefcase and JH Marketplace Apps

John Hancock's pair of apps are proof of the mobile traction. JH Life BriefCase mobile app provides producers with a central place to store, organize and manage illustrations and client-related information for several life products. Additionally, the JH Marketplace iPad app is designed to provide searchable access to, and the ability to save, print and email, current John Hancock product sales materials and tools.

3. Smoothing engagement with distribution.

Celent found that agent-focused initiatives continue to comprise the lion’s share (70 percent) of insurers’ initiatives. Consumer initiatives, however, are catching up. Celent noted that insurers’ agent-based initiatives still tend to focus on the more transactional and efficiency- or convenience-related goals of existing propositions.

Finalist: Allied Insurance

Along with many functions available on mobile apps today, such as filing a claim or obtaining a digital ID card, Celent found that one of the most innovative features and a key differentiator of the Allied Mobile app is the ability for certain agency partners to dynamically brand the customer experience with their own custom logo. The helps agents to reinforce the agency/member relationship by continually presenting the agency brand.